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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24148990">Soft Things</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/counting2fifteen/pseuds/counting2fifteen'>counting2fifteen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2009!phan, Bedsharing, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Fluff, Insecurities, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:08:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24148990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/counting2fifteen/pseuds/counting2fifteen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first night Dan spends at Phil’s parents’ house in 2009. Lots of cuddling is involved.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Howell/Phil Lester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Soft Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They kept an awkward amount of distance between them on the walk from the bus station to Phil’s parents’ house.</p><p>It was only natural. They were in public, Dan reasoned, and he had heard plenty about Phil’s small town. It was best not to risk it. Besides, this was terrifyingly new, and Dan was a little bit scared that if he touched it it would break.</p><p>But then they weren’t in public, and Phil was opening the door to his parents’ house, and showing him around, and keeping a respectful distance the whole time, and Dan wanted to scream that he didn’t <em>want</em> distance, he didn’t want Phil to be respectful, he wanted to be closer, so much closer, as close as it was possible to be to another person. But he didn’t.</p><p>Dan didn’t miss that the guest bedroom was carefully prepared. “You can sleep here if you’d like,” Phil said with an extremely forced note of casualness in his tone. “Or my room. Or wherever. If you’d like.”</p><p>Dan nodded.</p><p>Phil looked at him expectantly, but Dan still wasn’t sure where he wanted to sleep. “Thanks,” he said.</p><p>Phil looked slightly disappointed. “Yeah, of course,” he said. After another moment of awkward silence, he led Dan back into the living room. “Are you hungry?”</p><p>Dan’s first instinct was to deny it, but he couldn’t pretend not to be hungry for the entire visit. “A bit,” he said.</p><p>Phil nodded. “I’m not much of a cook,” he said. “How do you feel about boxed mac and cheese?”</p><p>Dan was also not much of a cook. “Sounds delicious,” he said.</p><p>“Alright then,” Phil said. “Back to the kitchen it is.” He reached for Dan before pulling his hand back. “Um. Follow me.”</p><p>Dan was truly a terrible cook, and Phil hadn’t been lying about not being that great either, but they managed to make a box of mac and cheese without setting the kitchen on fire, and enjoyed a pleasant and uneventful meal at Phil’s parents’ kitchen table. Dan was finally able to relax a bit into their conversation, which flowed as easily as it had online. Maybe, Dan let himself think, this wouldn’t be a total disaster.</p><p>After dinner, Phil suggested that they watch something together. Dan agreed, so Phil popped some popcorn and led Dan back into the living room, where he turned on the TV. “Do you watch Buffy?” he asked.</p><p>Dan shrugged. He didn’t really, but he’d been meaning to check it out for a while, if only so he’d be able to understand Phil’s rambles. “Not really.”</p><p>“We can start from the beginning, then,” Phil said. “If you don’t mind?”</p><p>Dan didn’t, so Phil put on the first episode episode of Buffy. Dan curled up on one end of the couch. He expected Phil to take the other end, but to his surprise, Phil sat in the center of the couch and drew his legs up to sit cross-legged. They were just far enough apart that they weren’t really touching, but every time Phil leaned over to grab a handful of popcorn, he brushed against Dan.</p><p>Dan did his best to focus on the show, but he couldn’t stop focusing on Phil instead. He was just so distractingly <em>close</em>. Dan stared at the screen, willing the characters into focus.</p><p>Phil’s knee brushed against his. Dan’s heart leapt into his throat. He pulled his leg back, then immediately regretted it. Could he put it back? Would that be weird? He decided it wouldn’t be, but before he could move his leg back, Phil rearranged himself, settling against the other arm of the couch, stretching his legs out and putting them in Dan’s lap.</p><p>“Is this okay?” </p><p>Dan nodded, not trusting his voice.</p><p>Phil settled back, returning his attention to the tv screen. Dan’s heart was hammering in his throat. He was incredibly tense. He tried to relax his legs, at least, so Phil wouldn’t notice.</p><p>Phil glanced over, noticing. “You sure it’s okay?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Dan said. “Sorry.”</p><p>Phil retracted his legs.</p><p>Dan pouted. “Come back. I’m lonely.”</p><p>Phil raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Please?” Dan tried.</p><p>“Maybe,” Phil said. He moved closer. “How do you feel about cuddling,” he murmured, his normally light eyes dark and intense.</p><p>Dan scooted closer in response, pressing his shoulder against Phil’s. “Good,” he said.</p><p>Phil wrapped an arm around Dan in response and pushed him backwards onto the couch, resting his head on Dan’s chest. Dan’s hand wrapped automatically to cradle Phil’s head, stroking his hair. He hoped Phil couldn’t hear his racing heart, but that was probably in vain.</p><p>“Are you nervous?” Phil asked, as if he could read Dan’s mind.</p><p>“A little,” Dan admitted.</p><p>“Me too,” Phil said.</p><p>Phil didn’t seem nervous.</p><p>“What about?” Dan asked.</p><p>“You know me,” Phil said dismissively. “I’m nervous about everything.”</p><p>If Dan had been older, more confident, maybe he would have pushed it. But he wasn’t, and Phil was, so he let it go.</p><p>“What are <em>you</em> nervous about?” Phil asked.</p><p>Dan’s hand stilled. “This,” he said finally.</p><p>“What about this?” Phil asked. He shifted slightly so his head was resting in the crook of Dan’s neck.</p><p>“All of it,” Dan said. “I don’t know how to date boys and I was a dick to the only girl I’ve ever dated and I’ve come so far and what if you don’t like me and I really like you and-”</p><p>“Dan,” Phil said, lazily nudging one of his legs between Dan’s. “I really like you too.”</p><p>Dan knew that on an intellectual level. If Phil didn’t like him, he wouldn’t have invited him here, he wouldn’t have shown him around Manchester, he wouldn’t have kissed him back, he wouldn’t have offered to let Dan sleep in his bed. But there was something different about hearing the words.</p><p>“I’m going to fuck this up,” Dan said. “I always do.”</p><p>“No you won’t,” Phil said, pressing a kiss to his jawline.</p><p>Dan didn’t argue. He knew he was probably just annoying Phil with his constant requests for validation, but there was a niggling piece of doubt embedded right beneath his heart that just wouldn’t shut up.</p><p>“Maybe you’ll fuck it up,” Dan said.</p><p>“Never,” Phil whispered, nipping at Dan’s ear. </p><p>Dan shivered. “Promise?” he asked.</p><p>“I promise.” Phil wrapped his arms around Dan and squeezed.</p><p>Dan let himself relax into Phil’s touch. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Phil and pulling him even closer.</p><p>“Mmm,” Phil mumbled. “This is nice.”</p><p>“It is,” Dan agreed. He let out a sigh of contentment. He hadn’t realized just how starved for human contact he was until he was here, Phil’s body warm and pliant in his arms, feeling Phil’s chest moving against his own with each breath, feeling the steady, solid pressure of another human body against his own.</p><p>The fact that it was Phil’s body did make it a little bit more nice.</p><p>They lay like that for longer than Dan would care to admit, their long bodies slightly uncomfortably squished together onto one couch, the tv screen still flickering in the background, until Phil interrupted.</p><p>“It’s getting late,” he said.</p><p>Dan swallowed. “Yeah.”</p><p>“We should probably be getting to bed.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Dan repeated.</p><p>Phil waited expectantly. “Where do you want to sleep?” he asked, after a few more seconds had passed.</p><p>Dan swallowed. He didn’t want to let go of Phil for a second longer than he had to. “Um. Is with you okay?”</p><p>A smile tugged at Phil’s lips. “Yeah.”</p><p>Dan changed into the pajamas he had packed while Phil brushed his teeth, and then they switched. When Dan got back, Phil was already lying in his bed, but he jumped up when Dan entered. </p><p>He gestured awkwardly towards the bed. “Um, I don’t know what side-”</p><p>“I’m not picky,” Dan said, sliding into the left side.</p><p>“Okay,” Phil said. “Are you ready then?”</p><p>Dan gave him a thumbs up from the bed.</p><p>“Perfect.” Phil switched out the light, then climbed into bed and turned off his lamp. He rolled over and reached for Dan, pulling him closer to his chest. His hand reached around Dan, searching for his hand. He finally found it, interlacing their fingers together. “Good night, Dan,” he whispered.</p><p>“Good night, Phil,” Dan whispered back.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><a href="https://counting2fifteen.tumblr.com/post/617933328587390976/soft-things">like/rb on tumblr</a> if you'd like</p></blockquote></div></div>
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